Friday 14 February 2014

Hearts, Flowers, Chocolate and Dance in Bodrum


Hearts, flowers, chocolate and dance ...does this sound like your ideal St. Valentine's Evening celebration?
In Bodrum, they were all on offer in the Town Square at lunch time.  Flowers are always on sale on Fridays as it's market day, but today there were flowers everywhere, and few resisted the urge to buy, although I noticed that the boxed roses were mostly ignored in favour of bunches of anemones, wild hyacinths or narcissus.


There was a much sweeter scent hanging over the town square as chocolate making lessons, laid on by the municipality, were in full swing.  The unseasonably warm weather was causing a few problems as the chocolates weren't setting in their moulds and there was a lot of frantic fanning going on.


After the chocolate came the dancing.  This year's "One Billion Rising" dance to highlight violence against women was well attended. Read about last year's event : One Billion Rising 2013


Sorry the photographs of the dance are not very good, but having made an effort to learn the steps this year, I was trying to dance and take snaps at the same time.




Fount of all knowledge Bodrum echo Chris and I had obviously not got the memo that this year's colour was purple, not pink.


On such a warm day, I was surprised to see so many wearing thick scarves until I saw that they were being handed out as freebies. Those that didn't get a scarf received a clock and here we are back to hearts again.
A reminder that the local elections are only a 6 weeks away. 

16 comments:

  1. B to B, You were wearing light purple. Sounds and looks like great fun and the clock is a real prize!

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    1. I tried to give the clock to my daughter but she wasn't having it.

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  2. I love it that the One Billion Rising campaign was held on Valentines Day.

    And along come the pre-election freebies! I'm waiting to see what delights will arrive in our village.

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    1. The 1,000,000,000 rising is on Valentine's day I think to raise the issue that some women are severely treated on this day.

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  3. Oh my, Annie - open-air chocolate making! Does this happen every year? Should I book to visit next year? What a brilliant idea - though impossible if the weather is too hot or too wet.....tricky! (Stick with anemones!)
    Axxx

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    1. There have been a couple of chocolate makin events but always at short notice. I have to say, they are nothing like your fantastic chocs.

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  4. Looks like a fabulous way to spend a valentines day. Good cause and good company by the looks of it.

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    1. As a Valentine's day non-joiner-inner, I ticked most of the boxes.

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  5. Looks like I missed all the fun. I will have to plan around it to be there next year!

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    1. I'll remind you to come to the dance practice.

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  6. That clock is fabulous! You know, I'm not a fan of Valentine's day at all, but I think I would have enjoyed it if I'd been in Bodrum. Those bunches of flowers look so much more romantic than Interflora bouquets... Sigh.

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    1. Our Interflora is a bit naff here - posies are much prettier

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  7. Gotta love the mayor. The man has style and a talent for PR.

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  8. Dear Annie, I do so enjoy your sharing with us the celebrations and the get-togethers you attend in Bodrum. Here in the States, the sense of neighborliness and community is being lost as people more and more take sides about issues and won't look for what unites us. All they/we seem aware of are differences and they/we seek out those of like mind. Even though that "like mind" may be filled with hatred. We are living in scary times here I feel and think. Peace.

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  9. Those freebies are amazing! I wonder which way the election will go....

    The sense of movement and colour and enjoyment in your photos is very appealing, as is the sunshine. :-) I love the thought of a bunch of anemones on Valentine's Day.

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